This invention relates to automotive suspensions and, more particularly, to an improved upper mounting assembly for hydraulic suspension shock absorbers which is readily fabricated as a sub-assembly while requiring minimal installation time during vehicle production line assembly.
An example of one low profile suspension strut is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,587 issued May 31, 1988 to Farrell and assigned to the assignee of the present application. The Farrell patent discloses a strut isolator and jounce bumper upper mount providing a compact resilient assembly adaptable for a vehicle having a reduced hood line.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,370 issued Jan. 7, 1992 to McClellan is an example of a vehicle front suspension strut having integrated jounce and rebound stops. In the McCellan patent the suspension spring rebound load is placed on a lower rebound stop member of the mount and the suspension jounce load is placed on an upper jounce stop member of the mount.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,934,730 issued June 19, 1990 to Okuzumi is an example of a vehicle front suspension strut wherein the upper end of the strut piston rod is engaged in an inner sleeve of a mount insulator for limited axial movement relative to the inner sleeve.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,274,655 issued June 23, 1981 to Lederman discloses a resilient strut mount comprising an annular mounting plate, an elastomeric ring, a central sleeve with an attached end plate, and a ball thrust bearing. The annular mounting plate, the central sleeve and the upper bearing ring of the thrust bearing are bonded to the elastomeric ring to form a subassembly.